Every now and then I do a job that I wish I hadn’t. This was one of those jobs.

I locked my bike to the railing outside the cafe and and crossed over onto Haggerston Rd. It was a beautifully warm sunny May day. I was looking for the Meadham Kirchhoff studio. As I scanned the row of assorted warehouse doors and grilles a painfully trendy, and highly colourful young man walked out of his studio towards me. This had to be one of my subjects! I asked him if he was part of the Meadham Kirchhoff team. He very dismissively acknowledged that he was, grudgingly let me in, and told me to go upstairs and shout for someone to help. He then turned on his heels and walked off.

I reached the top of the stairs and was greeted by a very charming and friendly PR. She introduced herself and then led me into the studio. Ben Kirchhoff was standing, leaning against his work bench. I introduced myself and got a nod in return. I explained that I was here to shoot some pictures for Paper magazine and asked if there were any good places in the studio to shoot them both with their designs in the background, perhaps on mannequins. I was slightly taken aback by the retort. You’re the photographer, you tell me. Maybe I asked for this, but it totally threw me. I was only trying to be polite and didn’t want to go nosing round their workshop without first asking. Their PR stepped in and said she’d show me round. There was a really cool little room off the main studio which was Ed Meadham’s office, and quirky self consciously suburban kitchen across the corridor. Most of the rest of the place was fairly cramped and busy with activity, as you would expect with a small successful design studio.

I came back to ask Ben if I could shoot in Ed’s office just as Ed returned form the shops. Ed turned away, said no, walked into his office, and closed the door. I was beginning to feel about as welcome as ‘a fart in a spacesuit’. I asked if the kitchen would be an OK location. To my relief Ben said that this would be fine, although one side had been used in a shoot the previous day so I should use the other. We started the shoot in total silence. I tried, no doubt a little weakly by this stage, to start a conversation, but could only elicit one word responses. They seemed ok about being directed but that was about it. I finished this shot as soon as possible and moved on…

Paper had wanted shots of Ed and Ben surrounded by Mannequins wearing a frenzy of multi coloured clothing. Unfortunately there were no mannequins and little space for a shot like this. I asked if there was any way I could get a shot with the two of them and some of their designs. Ben thought this would be OK, got out one of their creations and hung it up… I asked them to sit on their work table in front of their furry jacket, and shot a second portrait…

Mission still woefully incomplete I felt I should call it a day and make an uncomfortable exit back into the warm May afternoon sun. As I cycled home I started to think back to when I used to shoot loads of fashion. Friends would always ask me if the reputation of fashion people as being a nightmare was deserved. I was always quick to defend; most of the people I worked with were great. I begun to wonder what Freddy Krueger would look like in a riotously colourful furry jacket and a floral skirt. Somehow now it didn’t take a huge leap of imagination…

2 Comments for Nightmare on Haggerston Rd

DaveG

What a pair of twats, they actually think they look good in what they are wearing? Grany’s dress under your t-shirt? grow up Bellamy & as for Rumpelstiltskin in his rubber tights – Tourture garden was so 90’s darling.